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Student of the Month Katarina Gvozdjak

Katarina Gvozdjak is a September Student of the Month at Sterling High School. What's her key to surviving high school? Work hard from freshman year on, and get to know your teachers.

Katarina Gvozdjak, an 18-year-old senior at Sterling High School, is one of the school’s September Students of the Month. Her parents are John and LuAnn Gvozdjak.

Favorite class: AP Biology. It is a class that really gives me a challenge, and I enjoy the subject.

Top teacher: I have been fortunate to have so many wonderful teachers throughout Unit 5. However, there are two teachers that distinctly stand out to me. One of them is Mr. Dana Francis, AP Language and Composition. He always made class engaging and helped me to become a better writer. And also Mr. Jeremy Edwards, AP Biology. Ever since freshman year, when I took his Accelerated Biology course, I really enjoyed his style of teaching. He always makes class interesting, too.

Extracurriculars: Dance at Eastman School of Dance, football and basketball pom-pons, National Honor Society, Key Club, Science Club, Freshman Mentorship Program. I also play the saxophone in band, and work in the counseling office for service learning.

After graduation: After graduation, I plan on attending a 4-year university in the Midwest and am undecided at this point on what I would like to study.

Paycheck: I don’t have a job yet!

BFF: I have had many great friends at Sterling, but one of my best friends is Renee Sandberg. She moved to Georgia when I was 10, but we are still very close.

Favorite singer or musical group: Train.

Favorite actor: Matt Damon. He is great in all of his movies.

Favorite movie/TV show: “The Italian Job” with Mark Wahlberg, and my favorite TV show is “Castle.” I absolutely love that show and am an avid fan.

Hobbies: I dance and play the saxophone and piano.

Favorite game or outdoor activity: I don’t really have one!

Favorite food: I have two. Mashed potatoes and gravy, and cheesecake

Biggest fear: One of my biggest fears is failure. Whether it be my family, friends, or teachers, I don’t want to let anyone down.

Least favorite class: My least favorite class is probably Spanish.

What makes your blood boil? It really frustrates me when people are not open to ideas and are judgmental.

What kind of music makes your skin crawl? I really do not like any kind of rap music.

Where are some of the places you like to hang out? I like spending time at a lake in Wisconsin. It is so peaceful and relaxing.

Survival guide: What is the key to surviving high school? The key to surviving high school is to work your hardest right from freshman year, and to also get to know your teachers. Don’t be afraid to ask them any questions. They are there to help.

Useless knowledge: What is the one thing you learned in school that you think you will never use? Using significant figures in science. I will never use them!

I’m in the dictionary next to: Devoted. No matter what it is, I will always give it my all in everything I do.

Personal trivia: I enjoying waterskiing.

Dream job: My dream job would be a news anchor on ABC. It would be fun.

Trading places: Who would you like to trade places with for one day? I would trade places with the president of the United States, just to see what his job is like.

Trading spaces: If you could go anywhere in the world for free, where would it be? Why there? I would go to Ireland. It is beautiful over there, and they have great accents!

Read this: What’s the last good book you read? “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini. It is a great read and a powerful story.

Shout out: Is there someone you want to say hi to who will see this in the paper? All of my family and my dance team and instructors at Eastman School of Dance!